AHS sending out letters after privacy breach

Over 1,300 Albertans will be getting a letter in the mail from Alberta Health Services after their information was inappropriately accessed.

AHS will also notify another 11, 539 people that their demographic information was viewed by a former employee between January 2004, and July 2015.

Officials say it was a complaint by another employee which triggered the initial audit process, where the matter was reported to both Alberta Health as well as the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

The privacy breach occured in the electronic health record systems, Netcare and Netcare Personal Directory. AHS says the accuracy of the patient records has not been altered or impacted.

“The protection of patient privacy is not only a legislated duty of our employees, it’s part of our patient-first culture, and our values,” says Dr. Francois Belanger, AHS Interim Vice President – Quality and Chief Medical Officer. “We take privacy incidents very seriously, and continue to work with our employees to ensure they’re supported with privacy education and regular communication.”